Dead Birds (2004)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Alex Turner

Writer:

Simon Barrett (written by)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

There are worse things than dying

Plot:

A group of Confederate soldiers who hole up in an abandoned plantation after robbing a bank, and find themselves at the mercy of supernatural forces.

Plot Keywords:

Bank | Supernatural | Racial Tension | Overnight In A Haunted House | Racist Comment

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 18	9:00 PM	TMC
Sun. July 19	12:30 AM	TMC

Cast

Henry Thomas	...	William
Patrick Fugit	...	Sam
Nicki Aycox	...	Annabelle
Michael Shannon	...	Clyde
Muse Watson	...	Father
Mark Boone Junior	...	Joseph
Isaiah Washington	...	Todd
Harris Mann	...	Jeffy Hollister
Melanie Abramoff	...	Girl Ghost
Donna Biscoe	...	Black Woman
Brian Bremer	...	Hysterical Man
Russ Comegys	...	Kormer (as Russell Durham Comegys)
David Dwyer	...	MacCready
Michael Faella	...	Johnson
Steve Green	...	Boy Ghost

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Video rating) | USA:R (certificate #40961) | Brazil:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Mobile, Alabama, USA

Company:

Silver Nitrate Pictures

Trivia:

The town scenes were shot on the old sets of 'Tim Burton''s Big Fish (2003).

Goofs:

Continuity: when Annabelle runs past Williams in the corn field and he shots her, normally she should be shot on the right side of the head or in the back but in the next scene she appears to be shot in the forehead.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Showboat & Boonie (2005) (V)

Better than expected--well-made and scary

After robbing a bank (quite violently I might add), a group of crooks head out to an abandoned Alabama farm house, but strange goins' ons' begin to occur, and one by one, the crooks get killed off in gory ways. Once in a while, you pick up a film you've never heard prior to seeing it in the videostore that turns out a hundred times better than you expect. "Dead Birds" is one such film, or it was for me at least.

The acting is all-around great. The cast is also unusually good for a DTV horror film, including Henry Thomas (Gangs of New York) and Nicki Lynn Aycox(Jeepers Creepers 2).

Director Alex Turner has done a fantastic job with his directional debut. The film has a terrific atmosphere and a great, polished look. He handles the scary moments like a pro and I plan to keep my eye on any future projects from Mr. Turner, he obviously has quite a bit of talent.

The production values were excellent. The make-up and creature effects were great and the period costumes, sets, etc. are very convincing. Kudos to the entire crew on this one for managing to transcend their low-budget roots and pulling off a thoroughly believable, impressive-looking film on all levels.

The score, by Peter Lopez, was great. Very ambient, haunting and scary as hell; I'd like to own the soundtrack and hope to hear more of Lopez's work in the future.

A great horror movie. Slick, scary, well-made and acted, "Dead Birds" is a flick all horror fans will enjoy. Definitely deserves a place along with "Saw" and "Dawn of the Dead" as one of the best horror films of 2004.

8.5/10.